Easing Anxiety
by risseb1123
Summary: Kate and Gibbs prepare to go on an undercover mission that has Kate fretful and anxious until Gibbs finds a way to ease her anxiety.
1. Why Gibbs?

Beta: PT21

Rating: M

Disclaimer: These characters belong to CBS, not me.

Summary: Kate and Gibbs prepare to go on an undercover mission that has Kate fretful and anxious until Gibbs finds a way to ease her anxiety. *Complete*

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**Easing Anxiety**

**Chapter 1 – Why Gibbs?**

Kate fumbles with her apartment door keys, ready to be inside its comforting walls. Within moments, she's inside and off to the kitchen to grab a glass of her favorite merlot. She tosses a file folder on the counter and pours a generous amount into the wineglass. Lifting the glass to her lips, she takes a rather un-lady-like gulp.

Under cover…with Gibbs, she thinks, wryly. Setting the glass on the counter, she focuses on the file folder. Why Gibbs? Why couldn't her first under cover assignment be with someone else? Someone like Tony DiNozzo – a man she feels zero attraction towards? Kate wrings her hands, biting her bottom lip slightly.

"Get it together, Todd," she said aloud to herself, her voice echoing in the kitchen. "It's just a three-day assignment. You will do just fine."

A short while later, after taking a long, relaxing shower, Kate refreshes her glass of wine, and settles on the bed to study the case file. Before long, it has become blaringly apparent that she and Gibbs are to play lovers under cover - lover assassins, to be exact. Kate's heart rate increases as she realizes the implications. Two full nights alone in a hotel room with Gibbs.

"Oh God." she says, the worry and anxiety settling in. Just then, her cell phone buzzes, causing her to jump.

"Hello?"

"I'm right outside your place. Open the door."

"Gibbs? I don't understand. What are you doing here? Is everything ok?"

"Just open the door, Kate."

She shuffles across the floor to unbolt the front door, her sock-covered feet sliding over the polished hardwood surface. And there stands Gibbs, holding a small duffle bag in one hand, and securing a hanging garment bag over his shoulder with the other.

"Well...aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Of course I am. As soon as you tell me what you're doing here." Gibbs takes a step closer, and simply stares. In seconds, the doorway is Kate-free.

"We are going to go over the case files tonight."

"Tonight?" she asks, closing the door.

"Tonight. Have you eaten?"

"What? No. I haven't eaten."

Gibbs tosses the duffle bag on the sofa and drapes the garment bag over the back of an armchair.

"Do you have any food?"

"Not really."

"Aren't you going to eat?"

"I'm not really hungry. I guess it's nerves. You only have one first undercover assignment. I really don't want to screw this up."

"How much of the file did you manage to cover?"

"Not much. I'd just gotten started when you appeared on my doorstep unannounced."

Gibbs glared. "I'm going to grab something to eat. Would you like anything?"

"Sure. Can you pick me up a garden salad and maybe a chicken sandwich?"

"Garden salad?"

"Yes, Gibbs. It's the one with all the veggies and not a bunch of crap like croutons, cheese, bacon bits…"

"Got it. Be back soon."

As soon as he is out of the door, Kate runs over to the sofa and unzips the bag. Inside are the basics of an overnight stay – pajamas, toothbrush, hairbrush…

"Exactly who invited him to spend the night?" she asks aloud in her empty apartment. A million scenarios flash through her mind. "This is bad. This is really, really bad."


	2. Costumes Are Not Just For Halloween

**Easing Anxiety**

**Chapter 2 – Costumes Are Not Just For Halloween**

Gibbs and Kate ate standing in the kitchen. At least Gibbs did. Kate spent her time pushing salad about her plate like a young child. Her nerves were so revved up that eating was out of the question for the moment. Her actions didn't escape Gibbs' attention in the slightest. When finished his steak and cheese, he wiped his mouth with a napkin and fixed his gaze on Kate. She felt the weight of his stare and slowly looked up, her eyes round with surprise.

"What?"

"You're not eating, Kate."

"I told you that I wasn't hungry, Gibbs."

"You need to relax. Here," he said, picking up the wine. "Drink."

"But it will go straight to my head. I haven't had enough to eat."

"Drink." Kate rolled her eyes and lifted the glass to her lips and sipped while Gibbs looked on. Next, he lifted the barely-touched sandwich. "Eat."

"Gibbs!"

"Take a bite and chew, Agent Todd." Kate sighed, loudly and took a bite, then another.

After a couple of swallows she said, "There. Are you satisfied now?"

"Kate, I need you all here. When we go under cover, you can't be nervous and distracted. You have to be in control. You have to be confident. You have to _be_ Selena Barclay."

"I am nervous, Gibbs. This is my first undercover. You have it much easier than I do. You're a trained Marine sniper. Killing is something you could do in your sleep, so being Jake Brighton will be a breeze for you. And oh, by the way… Why are you packed to spend the night?"

"You've been looking through my things, Kate?" he asked, an amused expression on his face.

"Well, yes, I –"

"I am packed to spend the night because this could take all night. We need to be totally believable as both assassins and lovers. Once we get you relaxed and confident, you will have no problem pulling off the assassin part. But trying to pass you off as Jake Brighton's lover may take a bit more focus. Why exactly are you so nervous?" he asked, giving her a penetrating stare.

"I-I don't want to mess up. You don't think I'd make a believable lover?"

"There's no room for error on this, Kate. I will believe it when I see it. We don't have much time to get this right, so let's get started." Gibbs led them to the living room area, where they sat on the sofa. "What do you know about Jake?" he asked.

"He's a psychopath. Controlling, manipulative...likes things rough."

"And how do he and Selena relate to one another?"

"They are fiercely competitive yet loyal to one another. He is like a father and a lover wrapped in one. She's cold, calculating, controlling and has a wicked god complex. Selena Barclay refuses to take a mark unless she believes they deserve to die. The two are perfectly matched."

"Good. It is important that you understand something. While we are in the field, you will remain in character at all times, even when we're alone. Do you understand what that means, Kate?"

"Yes, I think so."

"If after tonight, I'm not convinced that you could believably pull off your role in this assignment, you're off the case.

"Then who will be Selena?"

"I will borrow a female agent from another team. Perhaps Agent Cassidy."

"Why didn't you just choose her first? She's obviously very talented in the art of deception."

"I chose you, because I wanted you," he stated plainly. Kate averted her eyes and blushed. "Alright," Gibbs continued. "We both have an hour to review our personas, and then we switch case files. I'll review yours, and you mine. Afterwards, we will put each other to the test."

Both agents buckled down and studied their respective case file – Kate in her room, and Gibbs in a cozy chair in the living room. When the hour was up, they switched case files and dug into another hour of study. The Jake Brighton persona was a lot more interesting to Kate than the Selena Barclay persona. Jake reminded her of a guy she once dated.

The second hour passed by quickly. "Are you ready for stage two?" Gibbs stood in the doorway of her room, startling her.

"I am. Let's get this started." She got up to leave the bedroom, but Gibbs stopped her.

"No. Change."

"Into?"

"Dress how you think Selena would dress if she were planning to meet a client. Don't take too long. When you leave this room, you will be Selena and I will be Jake. We will stay in character for one full hour, understood?"

Kate nodded, and looked blankly after him as he left. It was one thing to be bossed around at work, but this was her home that Gibbs had so blithely intruded upon. She closed the door behind him, and mentally went over her wardrobe. One thing she did not have was the clothing of an assassin, but tonight was simply practice. NCIS would undoubtedly provide her with proper she-assassin attire for the actual mission. Just then, a wave of inspiration hit. Kate knew exactly what she'd be wearing, and last year's very sexy Halloween get-up was the key.


	3. Roleplay Much?

**Easing Anxiety**

**Chapter 3 – Role-play Much?**

"Time's up, Selena," Gibbs called through the bedroom door.

Suddenly, the door jerked open, and there stood Kate looking as un-Kate-like as Gibbs had ever seen her. Her hair was slicked back and pulled into a high ponytail, her greenish-hazel eyes dramatically made up with dark smudgy eye shadow. Momentarily speechless, Gibbs stood aside so that she could exit the bedroom. His eyes scanned her body as she walked down the hall. In a thousand years, he never would've imagined the outfit she wore as having any place in Kate's life. Five-inch tall leather stiletto pumps; her shapely legs wrapped in a pair of fishnet stockings; a leather mini skirt and a lambskin cropped leather jacket unzipped far too low. Even her walk was different, evident in the way she sauntered sexily down the hall. Without warning, he grabbed her by the wrists, and pushed her body against the wall, a steely expression in his eyes. The unexpected move caught Kate off guard, but she quickly adjusted. How would Selena react, she wondered.

"Let go of me, Jake," Kate spat.

"You belong to me. Why are you dressed up like some cheap tramp, Selena?"

"I don't belong to anyone," Kate said, snatching away. "Least of all you."

She looked him in the eyes, realizing at that moment that the man before her, the one dressed so neatly in his pinstriped suit, slick tie and expensive shoes was not her boss. So that's what was in the garment bag, she thought. Gibbs' eyes scanned her face, and then her mouth, neck and finally the top of her exposed bra. He reached up and slowly zipped up her jacket.

"You are mine," he said, his voice low and gravely. "Cover up."

Kate narrowed her eyes to angry slits. "Back up, Jake," she said, pushing his shoulder and moving around him. She entered the kitchen, opened a cabinet and pulled out a shot glass and some vodka, filling the glass to the rim.

"Where's mine?" Gibbs asked. He was leaned against the counter, watching her. Kate slid the vodka down the counter and into his grasp, followed by an empty shot glass.

"Pour your own, Jake." She smiled wickedly, and then threw back the shot, loving the feel of the liquid courage as it slid down her throat. Gibbs poured himself a glass and quickly drank it.

"So tell me about our prospective client, Selena."

"Actually, it's two clients, a husband and wife. They are rich and powerful, both being from money – the American dream on steroids. I can't imagine why they would need our services," she said, sarcastically.

"I'm sure even their perfectly manicured rose bushes have thorns."

" I can't wait to meet them – to decide whether their target deserves to die...or that maybe they do, instead.

"You know, you've cost us a lot of jobs with your twisted sense of morality. I'm a psychopath, and even I know that the way you play god is fucked up."

"Twisted or not, I have to be able to sleep at night, Jake. But that's something you'd know nothing about. You'd kill your own mother in her sleep if the inclination hit you hard enough."

"You paint a heartless picture of me. You know that?"

"Well, I do know you better than anyone."

"If you know me so well, what am I thinking right now?"

"You're thinking that you'd love to suck on these stilettos, you kinky bastard," Kate said, finally feeling like she had the hang of being Selena.

"How exactly do you do that?"

"Like I said, I know you. In any case, you haven't been able to keep your eyes off my shoes," she said, hopping on the counter. "Or my legs, for that matter."

Leaning back to support herself on her forearms, she extended her leg, and with a pointed toe, pushed Gibbs in the gut. He stumbled backwards a few steps before regaining his balance. Kate grinned wickedly and waited for his next move.

Gibbs approached the counter, his gaze locked seductively into hers. He slowly traced the pattern of her fishnets, his fingers sliding delicately up her thigh as he moved in closer until he parted her legs by positioning himself between her them. He leaned in and nibbled on her ear, his hands sliding up and down the outsides of her thighs. Kate felt his warm breath on her neck as her pulse doubled.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Man-handling you, Selena."

"Well, don't."

"That's not what you said last night," he breathed in her ear, causing her to shudder. Higher up her thighs, his hands slid, until they slipped just beneath the hem of her skirt.

"That's far enough," she said, and grabbed both of his wrists with shaking hands.

"How many times must I say it?"

"Say what, Jake?"

"You're mine."

"Prove it."

Why did Kate have to go and open her big mouth? Within moments, Gibbs' warm firm lips covered hers. Kate's response was shocking, even to herself. She moaned loudly as their kiss deepened, his tongue flicking inside and teasing her own. Gibbs' arms tightened around her small frame, pulling her closer until she slid off the counter, their mouths still connected. Without Kate's knowledge or consent, her arms lifted and wrapped themselves around his neck as she stood on her toes, passionately kissing him. Slowly, he withdrew and was pretty amused to find Kate on her tiptoes; her eyes closed awaiting another kiss. Gibbs smiled languidly. He still had it; whatever that illusive 'it' was that drove women wild. Eventually Kate opened her eyes, and instantly regretted doing so. Gibbs was smiling a crooked half-smile that crinkled his eyes in a way that could be easily be described as smug times ten thousand.

"Point proven," he said. Just as Kate was about to protest, she realized how eagerly she'd participated in helping him to do just that.

"So what. I enjoy your kisses. That doesn't mean you own me, Jake."

"Then what does it mean?"

"I don't know what you want me to say here," she said, pushing him backward. "Stop trapping me against the counter."

"Gibbs pulled her by the hips, pinning her lower body against his. She let out a raspy gasp when his erection dug into her belly. He wrapped her in his arms. "See what you do to me, Selena?" he said, looking down at her. Kate's breathing accelerated and grew shallow as she stared up into his eyes.

"Let me go, Gibbs" she whispered.

Gibbs let out a sigh and reluctantly released her. When he stepped aside enough to allow her to pass, she scrambled out of the kitchen and headed down the hall to her bedroom. With trembling hands, she closed the door and sat down on the bed. What just happened? The sound of her throaty moan rang repeatedly in her ears as she covered her face with her hands.

"I'll never hear the end of this!" she whined.


	4. Nerves? What Nerves?

**Easing Anxiety**

**Chapter 4 **

"Kate," Gibbs said through the closed door. "Open up." He removed his suit jacket and hung it in the closet across from her bedroom.

"No," she said, slipping out of her fishnets. Her heels were back in the closet where they belonged. She felt like a fool for getting all dressed up like a hooker, even if it was practice for an under cover assignment. In her bra and panties, she headed to the chest of drawers in search of a pair of cozy, decidedly un-sexy sweats. Just as she was pulling open the drawer, her room door burst open. Kate grabbed the first article of clothing she could get her hands on and held it up in front of herself.

"Gibbs! What are you doing? I'm not dressed!" Gibbs stood in the doorway, a look of torment clearly etched in his feature. "Please leave so that I can get dressed. I'll be out in a moment."

Without a word, Gibbs stepped in closer, looking her dead in the eyes. He gathered her into his arms and kissed her. Kate trembled when he pulled her hips forward, once again pressing her belly into his growing excitement. Moaning, she feverishly wrapped her hands behind his head, deepening the kiss. When standing became a chore, Gibbs swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed. The bedspread felt cool against her skin as she lay back into fluffy pillows. When Gibbs straddled her body, his lips still connected to hers, everything went hazy. She reached up and pulled him down until he was stretched out atop her body. Her hands roamed along his backside until they reached his shirt, which she pulled out of his pants.

Their lovemaking flowed effortlessly as if they were long-lost lovers reuniting after years apart – like they already knew every inch of each other's bodies. They explored one other with a passion that burned freely until exhaustion appeared to forced rest upon them.

They slept until the light of daybreak filtered through the window the following morning. Kate was the first to stir. At first, things were a little confusing, but she quickly overcame the shock of finding her naked limbs wrapped intimately with her boss'. She glanced over at him as he slept, the memories of last night's excitement radiating in her core. When his eyes fluttered open, he immediately smiled.

"Now that's what I call believable, Kate," he said, his voice groggy but clear.

Kate smiled broadly. "So you think I'll do fine?"

Gibbs nodded, then frowned. "On second thought, maybe we should practice just a little more," he said.

Kate nodded and pushed him on his back. His morning erection was clearly etched in the sheets. "It looks like there could be lots of long hard hours of practicing ahead of us. Best to get started early." She pulled off the sheet and mounted him. It was the best start to a morning she'd had in ages.


End file.
